Mumbai, Nov 28 (PTI) NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar on Friday demanded a thorough probe into a purported attempt by officials from the Public Works Department (PWD) to embezzle around Rs 111 crore from contractors’
security deposit accounts in Palghar district.
Pawar, in a social media post, said an embezzlement attempt was thwarted due to the prompt intervention of bank employees and raised serious concerns about the functioning and accountability of the state bureaucracy.
According to officials, an employee of the Public Works Department (PWD) allegedly attempted to embezzle Rs 111.65 crore by submitting a request slip for a demand draft at a nationalised bank, which alert staffers promptly flagged and thwarted.
The department has initiated an inquiry into the incident that took place in Jawhar on Wednesday and lodged a police complaint, they said.
The employee deposited a cheque along with a request slip for a demand draft (DD) of Rs 111.65 crore at the bank. The cheque was drawn from the PWD account, in which security deposits of contractors are maintained. Every year, the department undertakes works worth several crores, and contractors routinely deposit 1-2 per cent of project value as security, extending up to 5 per cent for specialised works.
The official said that when bank staff noticed the high value of the DD request, they immediately flagged it and checked with senior officers, who denied issuing any such cheque and clarified that no authorisation had been granted for a transaction of this scale.
The NCP (SP) general secretary said, “At a time when contractors are struggling for survival and bills worth nearly Rs 90,000 crore remain unpaid, PWD officers themselves allegedly attempting to siphon off Rs 111 crore is shocking.” Some contractors had been pushed to suicide due to severe financial distress, he added, questioning whether the government had any control over its own departments.
“If officers sitting in government offices are openly attempting such major financial irregularities, it clearly shows they no longer fear the system. What does this say about supervision and discipline within the administration?” he questioned.
Pawar demanded a criminal case against the officials involved.
“This is nothing short of an attempt to loot public money. If the government fails to act decisively, it will be seen as giving silent approval,” he said.
Pawar also sought a detailed probe and a review of mechanisms governing security deposits to prevent such incidents.
Meanwhile, a PWD official said that the department has initiated an internal inquiry, suspecting the involvement of employees or officers in the attempted fraud.
The employee who submitted the cheque is missing, and efforts are underway to trace him, he said.
“Due to the alertness of our staff and bank officials, a major financial loss has been prevented. We have filed a complaint with the police, and further investigation is in progress,” Executive Engineer Nitin Bhoye told reporters. PTI MR COR ARU
